From her start as one of the youngest activists in US history, Pauline Newman helped shape the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) into a dominant force in industrial America. In For the Love of Labor: The Life of Pauline Newman, Cathryn J. Prince tells the story of a self-educated Jewish immigrant who dedicated herself to a legion of causes and lifelong battles against sexism and classism.
Prince follows Newman’s life from a youth split between Lithuania and New York City sweatshops to her work as an advisor to New Deal–era labor secretary Frances Perkins. Newman’s long hours at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory informed her entrée into labor activism. In the following years, she tirelessly advocated for workers, ran for New York Secretary of State as a socialist, and became the first woman to serve as the ILGWU general organizer. Her interest in the health of workers led to service on the Joint Board of Sanitary Control and a decades-long term as education director of the ILGWU health center. Membership in Eleanor Roosevelt’s circle opened doors to government positions and advisory roles that continued into the postwar era. Prince also weaves in the details of Newman’s fifty-year relationship with a woman, her struggles with her sexual identity, and her final years.
Engaging and panoramic, For the Love of Labor is the first major biography of an important figure in labor and women’s history
Cathryn J. Prince is an adjunct professor of journalism at Fordham University. Her books include Queen of the Mountaineers: The Trailblazing Life of Fanny Bullock Workman and American Daredevil: The Extraordinary Life of Richard Halliburton, the World’s First Celebrity Travel Writer.
In celebration of her book’s upcoming release on March 17, I am pleased to share this Q&A with the author.
How did you find out about Pauline Newman and her accomplishments, and what inspired you to write about her?
Cathryn J. Prince: I first heard about Pauline Newman from Jill Swenson sometime in 2021. She had sent me a short blog post about Newman that a friend of hers had written. I was instantly drawn to Newman and began digging around online. There were so many aspects of her life that I knew would resonate with readers: her life as an immigrant, her educational aspirations, her budding confidence, her persistence. And I was interested in learning about how in spite of the significant changes she and her circle were able to make regarding workers’ rights and health care, there is still room for so much more progress today.
You mention that some of the research for this book happened during the height of the pandemic. What unique challenges did you have because of this, and how did you overcome them?
CJP: I wanted to begin with The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives at Cornell University, but it was closed for in-person research. However, the archivists had gone back to work, and so they were tremendously helpful. I could request files, and they would scan and email me what I needed. I would not have been able to begin my work had it not been for their efforts.
What would you say is one of the most interesting things you learned about Pauline Newman, or the history surrounding her, during your research?
CJP: There were so many things, but here are two; one serious and one fun: One, the fact that she and Frieda Miller were raising a daughter together raised no eyebrows in her social circle in the 1920s and 1930s. Two, one of her favorite ways to unwind with her friends while on union business was to have dinner and play a game of poker.
How was the writing and publishing process for this book different from that of your other books?
CJP: At this point in my career my research and writing process has become fairly consistent. This time it was the publishing process that proved enormously challenging. I began with one publisher, but after several months it became clear it wasn’t going to be a true partnership. After several discussions with Jill, I made the difficult decision to terminate the contract. Then we landed on University of Illinois Press, and it was night and day. It was as smooth as can be; everyone from the acquisitions editor to the art department to marketing is as enthusiastic about Pauline Newman as I am.
What has been your favorite part of your journey through researching, writing, and publishing For the Love of Labor?
CJP: One of my favorite things about working on For the Love of Labor was finding and sorting through the ephemera of her daily life, from her naturalization certificate to the scores of letters, postcards, and telegrams she and her colleagues sent and received. I love sifting through things like photographs, playbills, newspaper clippings, and journals because this is where I found the little chestnuts of information that bring Newman and her contemporaries to life.
As an author, what was your process like to dive into the perspective of this historical figure, crafting an immersive experience of Pauline Newman’s thoughts for your readers?
CJP: To expand on the previous question, it’s reading things like Newman’s letters to Frieda Miller or Rose Schneiderman, or seeing her sketches, or reading her poems, that helped me flesh her out. That, together with finding advertisements of the time period, or seeing what was playing in the movies, or finding out how much a coffee would have cost at, say, Horn and Hardart, are ways to help a reader feel grounded in that time period.
I try to engage all five senses of a reader. For example, when writing about Newman’s arrival on Ellis Island, or her first day on the job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, I want the reader to not only “see” it, but also to hear and smell it.
What do you hope readers take away from For the Love of Labor?
CJP: I hope readers come away from the book realizing that Newman’s story is a story of perseverance. She knew that progress would be incremental, hard-won, and collective. She began working in the sweatshops of the Lower East Side and in the end had a seat in the conference rooms of policy reform. She showed that real change begins when ordinary people demand dignity. More than 100 years after Newman got a job in a hairbrush factory as a 9-year-old, her message endures: labor rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.
For the Love of Labor: The Life of Pauline Newman releases on March 17. Pre-order your copy today!
Join Cathryn J. Prince and moderator Andrew Sperling for a discussion on For the Love of Labor at the book launch event on March 25 at 6 pm ET. It will be hosted online via Zoom; register here to reserve your spot.
